From the Blog

I love Fall. I think everyone loves Fall, but it’s still worth mentioning 🙂 I saw a post on the Fitnessista’s blog today about turning over a new leaf with the new season, and checking in with the goals you set for yourself earlier in the year, and I loved the idea of doing that… The Frenchman and I are big goal setters and we usually set them for every month, every six months, every year, and 5-and 10-years. So I thought I’d share some here! 1) Move to Europe. CHECK CHECK CHECK! This has been on our goal list for years and the fact that we made it happen is a huge accomplishment. Now, we’re still trying to get some things established here, but that’s expected to take time 🙂 We’ll be back and forth to the US as well for Bad Yogi business, so don’t worry, American friends! We’ll see you again soon enough! 2) Get Back to the Gym. I’m signing up for one here next week! With getting everything ready to come to France, I totally slacked on my fitness routine. I kept up with my home yoga practice, but I didn’t make much time for anything else. I always try to find balance, so I’m going to get back on the wagon starting soon. … but let’s remember why I keep getting distracted: THE BEACH! 😉 3) Make Time for Just Fun. We have a habit of blending work with fun (which I happen to think is awesome), but sometimes it’s good to unplug and totally disconnect. So far we’re doing better with taking...

I officially announced that we moved to Nice, France earlier this week and I’ve gotten the same question a million times: “Why?” It doesn’t exactly come with a simple answer, but here goes… Years ago we decided that we would live overseas at some point when the stars aligned and work enabled us to do so. This was never something that passively sat on the back burner either; we were always working towards this goal from one angle or other. Whether it was trying to get our work set up so we could do it from anywhere, or making sure the timing was “right.” Making this happen is a huge deal to us and we’re really excited (and nervous!) that it’s actually come to fruition. It just goes to show you that when you set a goal, you take it seriously, and you work towards it every single day, it WILL happen. The timing is another story, because it’s not always in the exact time WE would prefer, but nonetheless, it happens 😉 Some people call it God’s time, others say it’s chance, and some say it’s just whenever it’s meant to be. Whether you’re working towards a similar goal or an entirely different one, let this encourage you to stay the course, even when it seems too far away or not worth it anymore. The Frenchman says it well: “The hard part isn’t the first step, or the second step [on the way towards your goal]. It’s the 5th, 6th and 7th steps when you’re in so deep you forget why you took that initial step in the first...

Oh yes it is. I consider myself a fairly seasoned yogi and still, every time I first come to my mat, all my brain wants to do is tell stories about the day or week or even stress me out over random things that don’t matter. I know we’ve ALL been there at some point or another and guess what? It’s OK! This doesn’t make you “bad” at yoga or meditation and it doesn’t mean that you’re just not “the type of person” who can sit still. It’s a practice, just like anything else. And wherever you put effort you’ll get reward. So next time you sit down to do your home practice or meditate and all you can think about is what to make for dinner, accept that. Don’t try to force those thoughts away, just let them come and then gently redirect. If you know someone who could relate, pass this picture on! Share it with your friends and let them know where to get more #badyogi bits of truth: Hope you all have an amazing week and weekend! Cheers,...

I know it feels like ages ago that I asked you all to submit your pictures for this project, which makes it that much more exciting that it’s finally ready! With getting the new store up and running and trying to find the perfect way to showcase your beautiful submissions, it was a bit more complicated than we originally thought, but totally worth the wait. I LOVE seeing how you rock your #badyogi gear and I especially love seeing so many cities represented. It’s incredible how diverse this community is! We have every continent covered except Antarctica, so if you’re planning out your summer vacation, might I suggest an icy wonderland? 😉 Thank you all so much for contributing to this project! What do you think?! Go here to see your submissions! If you want your picture added, click...

Every day I get emails from people all over the world telling me their stories of how they came to know Bad Yogi and how the small change of adding a few minutes of daily yoga has profoundly changed their lives. What I love even more is that these people are not always (or even often) lifelong yogis, athletes, gymnasts or anything else that might predispose them to pick up something like yoga. They’re stay-at-home/working moms (sometimes of 4 or 5 children!), burly “manly” men, college students on a budget, retired men and women, veterans— you name it. They come from the farthest corners of the world… everywhere from Canada to Congo, New Zealand to the Netherlands, Hong Kong to middle-of-nowhere Ohio, and everywhere in between. I’ve seen people rock Bad Yogi tanks in the North Pole, Alaska (didn’t even know that was a real place!) and at Mount Kilimenjaro. I hear how these classes and community have helped people feel less alone during an eating disorder recovery, chronic pain and illness, and other emotional hardship. I’ve heard how this community was there to help them celebrate a handstand victory or a 30-day stretch of daily yoga. I could never properly summarize all the amazing stories I’ve read and listened to since starting this journey. So when I get asked in interviews about who or what “inspires” me, I can’t imagine feeling more inspired by any guru, spiritual leader, entrepreneur, famous quote or meditation session than I do by all of you. Bad Yogi isn’t just me by myself putting on a cheeky label, it is ALL OF YOU. Every...

In most cases, there’s plenty to do when it comes to fine tuning our yoga practice. We could lift a little more here, engage a bit more over there, and bring more awareness to our breath while we do all of it. But sometimes it’s easier to just identify what looks “off” and find out how we can correct it quickly. Taking things one step at a time with the intention of eventually painting a full picture is much more satisfying than just trying to fix everything all at once. The “fix-it-all-now” strategy is demoralizing and you rarely feel the same sense of accomplishment. It doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you start somewhere! How about here: two more of the most commonly incorrect yoga poses. 1) Cobra. When I first started doing yoga, I really thought updog and cobra were interchangeable. If I’m honest, as a beginner, they really felt totally the same! Turns out, they’re not, haha 😉 In Cobra, you want to keep the elbows slightly bent. Kick firmly in to the tops of the feet, engage the quads, and gently press the pelvis down in to your mat. The shoulders should roll back and down away from the ears, and you can look in any direction that feels natural; so you shouldn’t feel any strain in the neck. What happens most often is just pushing the upper body up and jamming the lower back. Not good! You’ll hurt your back, your neck, and any benefit is gone. Pay attention to your form and you’ll be golden. 2) Warrior II. You’re probably thinking, “How...

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Erin Motz

The Original Bad Yogi

I’m the carnivorous, red wine and French cheese-loving type and I’m based in Tampa, FL where I teach vinyasa flow. My aim is to keep my classes fun and accessible, both in the studio and online. More about me…

People We Love:

Nice Things People Say:

“So excited for tomorrow! I can already tell I’ll be missing you after day 30! Thank you so much for sharing with us Erin!” –Canada

“Made my day :)” Norway

“Just started today. I’ve replaced smoking weed with yoga. You’re a great instructor. ” Juan, US

“You’re so cheerful… You make this really easy and fun. Thank you!” -Kaite, US

“hands down BEST yoga experience ive ever had 😀 i feel great. thanks Erin.” – US